Umbloom was a Myconid born in Ochre Glow, raised beneath the warm orange light of its bioluminescent caps at the thinning edge of the Mycowood. From an early age they attempted to grow strangely, shaping their stalk and fronds in ways that echoed the silhouettes of Mortalkind rather than the rounded, low forms favored by most Myconid Adults. The result was never convincing, their body still plainly fungal in texture and scent, yet longer limbed and more upright than their kin. Other Myconids regarded Umbloom with quiet curiosity, and in time with fondness, believing their odd shape made them better suited to be seen by outsiders who feared the deeper forest.
Umbloom spoke plainly and literally, with little sense for irony or implied meaning, but with a warmth and openness that disarmed most listeners. They often announced their intentions with solemn confidence, once declaring, “I have taken great pains and undergone significant transformation to become indistinguishable from a human being,” while standing amid Mortalkind who could plainly see the caps, gills, and drifting spores that proved otherwise. Such statements were never meant as jokes.
Umbloom was among the few who survived the fall of Ochre Glow, spared only by distance when the Vegepygmy attack tore through the glowing stalks and hollowed roots. They returned to find their colony burned and cut down, its memories scattered into the mycelium as grief. When Prime Fungoon chose a messenger to leave the Reaching Grove for the first time in generations, other Myconids named Umbloom without dissent. They believed their strange resemblance to Mortalkind, their openness, and their unguarded honesty gave them the best chance to be heard.